Touring Morocco, Awe-Inspiring!
I always wanted to visit to Morocco but this wish didn’t materialize until recently during my North African tour with my husband.
We flew from Algiers Algeria to Casablanca via Royal Air Maroc. When we arrived Casablanca, we took the train to Rabat where we planned to stay the night. The train ride to the capital took longer than I thought. It was already late when we arrived so we didn’t get to do anything.
The following morning, we woke up early for our breakfast and to get ready for our train ride to Marrakech. We had some time before our train was scheduled to leave so we did some sight-seeing. Our train ride to Marrakech was about four hours long. We didn’t mind, though, the sights on the way to the red city was awesome! This included views of the desert and an oasis. I was hoping to see goats on the trees that I kept seeing on the internet, but to no avail.
Rabat, Morocco
Gare Rabatville Marrakech train schedule
Beautiful view of the desert and the oasis on our way to Marrakech
We arrived in Gare de Marrakech which was an impressive train station, complete with shops and food facilities. We decided to walk to our hotel thinking it would be a good way to see the city and take pictures. After walking for awhile and having asked several people who gave us different direction, we decided it was time to take the taxi and finally get to our hotel, I’m not fond of walking after all!
Gare de Marrakech
Place de Marrakech
After checking in and settling in our room, we went to the roof top where the hotel swimming pool is and where we also got to enjoy the view of the “Red City”. After enjoying the pool and the city view, we took the taxi to visit the world famous Jmaa el Fnaa, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which invokes one’s senses … the sound of the drums, the music and the storytellers, the smell of the food from the stalls throughout the square, the taste of the Moroccan cuisine, the sights of everything and everyone and that overwhelming feeling of being in this place. It truly is a must visit in Morocco! After an overwhelming experience it’s time to go back to our hotel. I was kind of disappointed that we didn’t see the snake charmers, though.
My husband with an old musician in Jmaa ef Fnaa
On our second day, we had a tour of the city via taxi. We were then dropped off near the medina not far from Bahia Palace. The palace is named after one of the wives of Si Moussa. Palais de Bahia is one of the favorite attractions in Marrakech, it captures the essence of Islamic and Moroccan style. After the tour, we walked around the medina and souks. A tip, be careful about taking photos especially at the souks. Some of the shopkeepers don’t like having their photos taken.
Inside Palais de Bahia
After walking around looking for a place to eat, we came into Badia Palace (Palais Badii), which was the royal palace during Saadian dynasty. We then went back to Jmaa El Fnaa, it’s good to see the square during night and day for comparison. Nighttime is much busier and more crowded but we got to see the snake charmers during the day. Apparently, before sunset, the snake charmers leave the square that’s why you will not see them at night. I supposed it’s for safety reasons. Can you imagine if those cobras were lost in the night in the middle of the crowd? Scary thought! Another tip when visiting Jmaa el Fnaa, it’s good to have smaller bills, the performers expect tips if you posed for pictures with or of them. One said it’s for “buena suerte” or for “good luck”.
My husband posed near a spice shop
After lunch, we headed back to our hotel and decided to stay in the pool, once again, we enjoyed the view of the city especially with its beautiful sunset! We then called it the night.
The following morning, we took the early train from Marrakech to Casablanca. Since we didn’t have much time in Casablanca, we proceeded to our planned sight-seeing immediately after check in. First stop was Hassan II mosque which is right on the North Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest mosque in Morocco and the 7th largest in the world. It is the only mosque in the country that is open for the non-Muslims as well.
Hassan II Mosque and the North Atlantic Ocean
Inside the Morocco Mall with its Aquadream aquarium
After a few photo shoots, we took the taxi to Morocco Mall. This award-winning mall is the largest shopping center in Africa and one of the top ten largest malls in the world. Aside from its world-class shops which include Galleries Lafayette, it features the world’s largest conical aquarium, the Aquadream, that holds 3000 saltwater fish which includes sharks and rays. The aquarium also allows scuba diving with a professional diving instructor. Outside the mall is the large IMAX theater and flower garden.
North Atlantic Ocean
Instead of taking a taxi back to our hotel right away, we decided to take a walk along the North Atlantic Ocean and La Corniche which is lined with restaurants and entertainment complex. After enjoying the view and the sea breeze we took the taxi back to our hotel.
We rested some before we decided to take a walk to the old medina, another UNESCO World Heritage site. We took some photos and went back to our hotel. It was a little late when we decided to find a place to eat. After walking a few blocks, we found one that looked promising. After a nice dinner, we retired to our hotel.
Traditional Moroccan meatball tagine
We had a nice day in Casablanca, though short as it was, we were very satisfied with our sight-seeing just as we were satisfied with our entire visit to the country. Morocco truly is a very diverse country. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to visit it!